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Which , I thought, swi from it, but it ebbed before I could reach it, and I didn’t see the next light pop up till I turned around But by then it was too late

I waited till another piglet lit up close to ain, I felt that pull of ain I was too late

There has to be a better way to do this, I thought Just then the piglet next to nature pulse of power Suddenly, I knehat I had to do

Well, libido, saidenes that pulse Now is your time to shine

My libido bowed to its sensei, and I closed ical feelers

Left, I felt, as Ioveraround the fifth largest whirlpool in the world with my eyes closed, but--similar to Peter Parker--I had to trust etting, though, as I neared the source of that ht, came the next set of instructions borne tobecame too much This one was close Then left… far away this tiing across the periphery of the Soeaving and darting Soh and I’d have to start over, this ti I drew from the ocean even as I did so, and the very pulses of power that I followed crept under my skin Their force was so potent that, despite the a, ht ahead… now left… now right… back, and hurry… back again… right… As I got better at the game closer and closer to the Sow Every pattern we’d traced was an intricate wreath, weaving inward into a final, central point But while sticking your finger, or your wing, into the middle of an empty circle was easy, I’d co had the Old Sow herself at its epicenter

Not so easy, that

Meanwhile, although I was doing iven situation, the ocean wasn’tthat easy Despite the pull of the power bursts, the ocean herself was battlingonnato think of a way around the water

But then I thought about that underwater battle between Trill and that evil kappa, e’d been investigating Iris’s disappearance That night, Trill had taught me to use the ocean, rather than submit to her

It’s like a metaphor for my life, I realized, as I stopped to tread water and think about the probleo with everything… I don’t like to shake things up or fight or assertsubht now, I need to take what I need, without apologies

And with that thought, I shut ain But when I felt a pulse of power froh the water

This ti up all the swirling energies aroundfro it to do ly, eventually, the Atlantic obeyed This tih the water it stung The energy I was using was tre power of the Old Soouldn’t have been enough to power one supernova So much so that I could still keeparound so h the water, I felt the pace of the appearing syil Meanwhile, the spiral pulledI’d ever done before, I could still feel the press of the water all around me Indeed, "pressure" was the word of the day There was the pressure of the situation--knowing Rockabill would be destroyed if I failed; that I’d lose everyone I loved, includingThere were the literal pressures of all that ain, plus that of the ocean and the buffeting currents of the Sow and her piglets The part of rounded whispered to ive up… to let other, s handle the situation

For a fraction of a second I slowed For a fraction of a second I wanted to be the old Jane again, the one who didn’t have to save the world, or at least a sizable chunk of it Instead, I wanted that world to be nor no truck with my little pity party When were you ever norht of my life: the losses, the joys, the secrets, the lies, the love, and the connections

My life has never been normal, I realized And the world has never been norood, or just, or clear But that doesn’t ht, I took off swiain

This time I didn’t let myself think or slon I didn’t even allow h the water toward ot to the point I had stopped last tith--this time, I continued